Ever the House Husband
by OfRosesAndRavenstags
Summary: Episode Tag - 2x03: "The Weigh Station." Halstead, after discovering he has a bounty on his head, decides to go undercover with JP, a 'retired' hit-man, to catch a man named Shostak. After the op, Jay and Erin decide that they don't want to go through life without each other, and smut ensues. M for lemons. Centered around the Linstead pairing, with all the other usual pairings.


**Ever the House Husband:**

**A/N: Here's a little Linstead one-shot that I wrote. It takes place during 2x03, "The Weigh Station," starting when Jay went on that super shady op with the 'retired' hit-man, JP, to get Shostak. Smut at the end, and it's not completely plotless, which is good, I guess. :P**

**As always, slight AU and OOC-ness because of the fact that Lindsay and Halstead haven't yet been together (I say 'yet' hoping that they will be soon).**

Jay Halstead entered the room where the deal was about to go down. JP, the retired hit-man, was standing at one end of the metal interrogation table, while Voight and Ruzek were sat down on the other. A small, black cellphone was between them, laying face-down on the table.

Jay could feel his partner looking at him through the two-way mirror, even though he couldn't see her.

The cell rang suddenly, breaking the ominous silence that had swallowed the room. Ruzek glanced at the call tracking device in his hand. "It's Shostak," he stated.

The phone rang twice more. "Answer it," Voight ordered.

JP picked up the phone, opened it up, and placed it against his ear. "Hello," he said into the cell.

"JP?" The voice came from the other end of the line.

"What's up, Shostak? I have something you may want."

"I want a lot of things."

JP cut to the chase, his voice hard. "Halstead," he stated. "I have Jay Halstead."

"Hmm. My understanding was that you turned down this contract," Shostak drawled.

"And I heard they offered you a lot more money than me. I want half of whatever Bembenek's giving you."

"Or what?" Shostak asked tersely.

"Or I let him go. And you better think quick. The dilaudid I pumped into him's going to wear off soon, and I think I may just let him go if he comes to. He's an awfully capable detective, I hear. Close to catching the man who's put a bounty on his head. "

"Okay, fine, JP. You get half."

The older man smiled, giving the cops in the room a thumbs up. "I'll take care of it—I'll bring you a photo for proof."

"No, no, no, no, no," Shostak said over the line. "Just because I'm talking to you doesn't mean I trust you. I want to see him alive."

JP looked around the room, eventually meeting the gaze of Halstead. Jay, unsmiling, gave the retired hit-man a thumbs up, pointing at the phone. "Do it," he whispered.

"Deal," JP said into the line.

"Highway between Cermak and Kedzie," Shostak replied before disconnecting the call.

Jay Halstead didn't think about how dangerous the op would be. He left the small interrogation room, not looking at the looks of disapproval he knew would be on his team's faces. He took the stairs to the bullpen two at a time, rushing to his desk.

The rest of the team wasn't far behind and, before long, the shared office space was filled with detectives and cops. Lindsay was glaring at Halstead from across the aisle, and he tried his best not to look at her. He could take the disapproval of everyone else with relative ease, but it stung him whenever she was dissatisfied with him.

"There are too many risks," Antonio stated as he entered the bullpen.

Halstead snorted bitterly, sliding his extra gun into the holster at his ankle. "In our line of work, there're always risks."

Lindsay looked at her partner, her arms crossed over her chest. "Jay, you'd be in the car with a hit-man."

"Who's retired, and who we made a deal with."

"Because that changes _everything_. Jay—he's a professional killer. Just because he's been inactive for a few years doesn't mean that he's not willing to kill again."

"We don't know how many people Bembenek wants dead!" Halstead stood up suddenly, his chair clattering across the floor as he walked over to the board. He slapped a hand against the picture of the seventy year-old woman who had been executed under Bembenek's orders. "Isn't this enough? They murdered an innocent sixteen year-old and an elderly woman. This needs to stop—now."

Erin frowned. "Jay—"

He walked right past her, coming up behind Voight. "Sarge, I will sign whatever I have to sign saying that I went on my own free will, that I wasn't ordered. That'll release the city from all liability." His blue eyes were piercing, angry. "I don't have any beneficiaries anyway. I signed that form the day I graduated from the academy, right before they pinned a badge on my chest."

Voight turned away and nodded slightly. "We roll in thirty," he said in his raspy voice. "Everyone down at the back entrance in five."

Olinsky, Atwater, and Ruzek followed Voight down the stairs. Antonio gave Jay a brief look before he followed them, leaving only Burgess, Roman, Halstead, and Lindsay in the bullpen.

Erin gestured to the break room, glaring at her partner. He nodded, walking towards it with little resistance. He knew she was only going to chew him out, rip him a new one, but he went anyway. She followed him into the room, closing the door behind them.

He leaned against the coffee counter and turned to look at her. "Erin, I know what—"

"Do you really, Jay?" she snapped, walking up to him and placing a firm hand on his chest. "Tell me, then—what am I going to say to you?"

"Listen, I know you aren't okay we me going on this mission, but—"

"Like hell I'm not! You're going to let an ex-hit-man drag you around town with a gun to your head as he brings you to another hit-man who's only goal is to kill you to make a couple bucks, and you're expecting to make it out of their without a scratch?"

He sighed. "I may not make it out of there alive, Lindsay, but if it stops the deaths of innocent people, then it's worth it in my books."

She looked down to the floor, avoiding his gaze. She lowered her voice significantly. "And what about all that shit about you not having any beneficiaries?" Her words were edgy, bitter, venomous.

"I don't have any, Erin. No true biological family left, no wife, no kids."

"God, Jay—"

"Don't." He pushed her hand off him. "I'm going on this mission, Erin. You're not guilting me out of it."

Her head picked up suddenly, and she looked him right in the eyes. "Jay—" Her tone grew sad, rather than mad. "If anything happens to you, I don't know what I'll do."

His brows furrowed confusedly. "You'll find another partner, and life will go on."

She swallowed hard. "You're not just a partner to me, Jay."

Erin was so close to him. He could smell her scent—uniquely hers, like musky sunshine and mint—over the usually overbearing, coffee smell. She moved even closer to him, pressing his hips between hers and the counter. Her breaths tickled his neck.

"God, Jay," she whispered. "We've been dancing around our feelings for each other for too long. Every advancement you made I shot down, because I was too scared, I guess. I didn't want to have my heart broken, and I didn't want our romance to get in the way of our job. Stupid, I know—" She trailed off.

"What are you saying, Erin?"

She stepped away from him hastily, her hard-ass facade falling back into place. "Forget it," she said, turning on her heel to leave. "Just be careful out there, Jay."

Lindsay was gone before he could even consider saying anything back to her. He was glued to the floor, paralyzed for a moment as he stared at the empty doorway blankly. Eventually, he dragged himself away from the counter and back into the bullpen, just catching sight of Antonio as he was exiting the area.

"Damn it," he cursed, glancing at the clock on the wall. _Voight wanted me downstairs five minutes ago. _

He grabbed the coat off his chair and rushed down the stairs to the back entrance. The team was already waiting for him, all suited up in their vests with their extra weapons on them. Erin was facing away from him, quiet.

"Here," Antonio said, handing Jay a pair of handcuffs. "The ratchets on these have been shaved down; one tug, they'll come right off."

Jay took the cuffs. "Okay."

Dawson placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Be smart, all right?"

"Of course."

Voight came storming in. He tapped the hood of JP's black car. "All right, I want four tracking devices on this thing."

Olinsky stepped forward, a black case in hand. "I'm on it."

"Good. Burgess and Roman, you two stay close, but not too close, in case we need to call in patrol. Ruzek, you're with Antonio; Atwater with Olinsky." He pointed to Erin. "You and me."

Jay watched as his partner gave him another look. She was still pissed at him for deciding to go on the mission, without a doubt, but he could also see that she was _worried_. Erin was wringing her hands and fidgeting slightly, murmuring things under her breath. Jay kept seeing her walk closer to him, only to snap back as if she hit an electric wall.

He tried to look at her reassuringly. _I'll be fine,_ he mouthed. _Don't worry._

Antonio, always the observer, walked over to Erin and placed his hand on her arm. "You okay, Lindsay? You look like you're about to puke."

She nodded, shook his hand off. "Yeah, I think my breakfast isn't agreeing with me, that's all. No biggie."

Dawson didn't believe her, but he left her side anyway, giving her a weak smile before he went to go get some comms from the tech department.

Jay pondered going to her side, but thought better of it. Images from the break room just minutes ago kept replaying in his head, and he somehow knew that his going to console her would only make it worse. All he could do for her was to make it out of the op safely.

Voight strode up to the retired hit-man, who had been leaning casually against one of the concrete walls, and grabbed him by the collar. "Let me tell you something, JP."

"You don't need to say it," the retired hit-man said. "As long as you plan on coming through for my kid, we're straight."

"We got ten minutes," Olinsky called, just finishing up with placing the trackers on the car.

Voight looked around at his team as though quickly memorizing their faces. "All right, let's hit it, then. Stick to the plan, everybody. I want everyone to go home safely and in one piece tonight."

Everyone went to their cars, with Jay pretending to be drugged-out in JP's black, beat-up sedan. JP pulled out onto the main road and began driving to the meeting place. It was only ten minutes before they pulled into the alleyway, Jay keeping still with his eyes closed.

They sat there a moment in silence before the cell rang. JP answered almost immediately. "Yeah?"

Shostak's deep voice. "Take him out of the car. Show him to me."

JP stepped out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. He pulled Jay, who was still pretending to be drugged-out, out of his seat, hoisting him into a near-standing position against the side of the vehicle.

"Satisfied?" JP spat into the phone, glancing around for any sign of Shostak.

Jay wanted to open his eyes so badly—he wished to pull the gun out of his ankle holster, find Shostak, and shoot the hit-man right then and there. He didn't.

"Head to the abandoned storefront on Ridgeland and Roosevelt."

JP nodded and tucked Halstead back into the car. He walked back over to his side, slid inside, and shifted the car into drive. They were back onto the main roads in no time, heading towards Shostak's meet spot.

They were at a red light when the cellphone buzzed, signaling a new text. Jay cracked an eye open, looking to the man in the driver's seat.

A look of concern crossed JP's features, and Jay knew immediately that something had gone wrong. He reached down to get his gun, but JP beat him to the draw and pointed his pistol at Halstead's face.

Jay placed his hands in the air submissively. "Listen, man—"

"Don't pull any shit. Gimme your phone and gun. Do it!"

Jay frowned, but handed JP his gun and phone anyway. "I thought you didn't kill cops," he said, stalling.

"Yeah, well, things change." The hit-man tossed the items out the window.

JP continued to drive erratically for a little while longer before he pulled the car to a stop right before the abandoned store Shostak had mentioned. "Don't you move." JP got out of the car, keeping his gun aimed at Halstead. "Get out of the car," he ordered as soon as he had opened the passenger door.

Jay sat up slowly, glaring at the retired hit-man. He stepped out of the car smoothly, really wishing that he could contact his team. _I would kill for an earpiece. Or to have my gun back. _Looking around, he could see that he was in the middle of a freaking dump.

JP shoved a pair of cable ties towards him. "Stand here and put these on."

Jay hesitated.

"Do it," the hit-man spat. "Put 'em on."

Jay flexed his jaw as he maneuvered his hands into the loop of the ties. "You're not going to get away with this, JP. Chicago's best team of detectives are looking for me right now."

"Shut up."

"Voight—"

Jay was cut off by the sudden ringing of a cell phone.

JP glanced around and located the sound, kicking over a bucket that was a few feet away to reveal a new cellphone. He brought the thing to his ear by the end of the second ring. "Yeah?"

"Lose the phone and the car," Shostak ordered.

JP glanced around, spotting a woman with a minivan across the street. He grabbed Halstead. "All right. Come here," he told Jay, clutching the phone to his chest. He began to walk them across the street. "Come on."

Jay didn't struggle much as the older man lead him across the busy street. Cars honked and cars came jolting to a stop as they crossed. When they neared the woman with the gold Dodge—a mother, Jay guessed—JP put the gun to Halstead's temple.

"Give me the key," he ordered the woman.

She stopped unloading her groceries and gasped at the sight. "What?"

Jay moved to calm her down. "It's okay, ma'am, just—"

"Give me the key right now!" JP hissed loudly, slamming the handgun against Jay's head to stress it to the lady.

The woman pulled a bundle of keys from her pocket and, after only a moment's hesitation, tossed them to JP. He caught them singlehandedly, shoved Jay into the passenger seat of the van, and turned the keys in the ignition.

He pulled away from the curb, pulling the phone back to his ear. "I'm in a gold minivan," he told Shostak. "I've still got Halstead."

"Westbury Field, JP—that's where I'll meet you, and there better not be any cops."

Jay watched as the call was disconnected and JP closed the cell, flipping the device into a pocket. The hit-man was driving fast down the road, through neighborhoods and backstreets that Jay didn't know existed.

They eventually came to an old, empty field, where JP quickly pulled the minivan to a stop and exited. "Get out of the car," he ordered, repeating himself when Halstead didn't follow his directive immediately. "Get out of the car."

Jay glared at the man, but slowly slid out of his seat.

Abandoned buildings surrounded the dusty clearing, standing tall and like walls. The sun was beating down, making the air feel too warm. Jay wanted to ditch his jacket, but thought better of it. Who knew what was in store for him next?

JP shoved him along. "Good. Now get up and against the car. Don't pull anything, Halstead, or I'll shoot you right here."

Jay moved slowly, deliberately. To JP, it looked like he was moving to follow the orders and press himself up against the vehicle, but Jay had other plans.

In the blink of an eye, Halstead turned, ducking down to kick out JP's knees. He wrapped his cabled hands around the 'retired' hit-man's neck in attempt to choke him out. JP fought back, slamming the gun against Jay's thighs, ribs—anything he could reach.

Jay groaned when JP cracked the gun against his knee, sending them both to the dry earth. The detective kicked the gun away and adjusted his hold on the hit-man, trying harder to suffocate the man.

JP was flailing wildly, kicking randomly to no avail. Jay got the upper hand and managed to straddle the other man. He punched JP twice in the jaw, kneeing him once in the stomach for good measure.

Jay stood shakily, collecting the gun off the ground and pointing it at JP, who was clutching at his own throat with two hands as he tried to get his breath back. Jay sucked in a harsh breath, then pulled his wrists apart sharply, breaking the ties away from his hands.

"He has my son," JP said, coughing and spluttering. He spat some blood onto the ground. "He'll—"

Jay kicked him in the side, gesturing with the gun. "Did you really think you were going to walk away from this? Shut up."

"He's got my son. The choice was between you and him—not even close. He's my kid, and you're just some cop I met a few hours ago."

Jay bent down, took the phone from JP's pocket. He flipped it open and dialed Voight's cell number with practiced ease, but didn't press the call button—not yet. "Get up," he ordered, pissed and slightly out of breath. "Get the hell up, JP! Get against the car."

JP was pleading between pants. "Don't let him kill my kid."

"Get against the car," Jay spat, pushing JP up against the side of the minivan.

"Don't let him kill my kid, man."

Jay looked around at his surroundings, trying to figure out where they were. _Westbury Field, Shostak had said._ There were a bunch of shoddy, gang-painted buildings, with some paved roads sneaking off one side, while a dirt drive snuck out the other. It didn't take him long to find the address of the place. When he had it, Halstead called Voight's cell, glad when the sergeant answered on the first ring.

A car was entering the field from one of the dirt roads. "Voight, I'm at 103rd and Central, at some place called Westbury field. I got a car approaching—it's a red Mustang, early 2000's in model. I think it's Shostak."

"Stand down, Halstead! Get out of there!" Voight's raspy voice directed. Jay then heard the man speak into the police radio, telling the team where he was.

Jay pressed the phone to his chest and turned his attention back to JP. "You're going to act like everything is normal—like you're in complete control," he told JP, pressing the gun into his side for emphasis.

The retired hit-man nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah, man. Of course."

"Uh-huh. That's how we're gonna get your son back, all right?"

JP nodded again.

Halstead shoved the man behind him, keeping the gun pressed into the man's side. "Let's go, then. Come on."

They moved out into the open, staring at who Jay presumed was Shostak. The Mustang had stopped, but the man inside wasn't getting out. Suddenly, the vehicle swung into reverse, and Shostak was driving out the way he had come in.

"Where's he going?" Jay asked JP hurriedly. "What the hell is Shostak doing? I thought he wanted me dead?"

Jay stood there and watched as Shostak got turned around and began to speed away, the Mustang he drove spitting up clouds of dust in its wake. He brought the phone back up to his ear. "Voight!" Jay called into the phone. "He's getting away!"

Voight's blacked-out Cadillac suddenly came into view from the opposite side of the field. Jay pointed which way Shostak had gone, and saw Voight, with Erin in the passenger seat, drive after him. They, too, were gone in no time at all.

Erin came onto the other end of the phone. _She must've taken Voight's cell_. "Jay—you okay?"

"Yeah," he said into the cell. "Go get Shostak."

"We see him. Antonio and Ruzek are about two minutes out from you—just hang on until they get there. They'll pick you up."

"Got it." He ended the call and turned to JP, pointing the gun at the man's head. "Hands on your head, and get on your knees."

Jay pulled a pair of cable ties out of the hit-man's pocket and placed them on the man's wrists and ankles. A hard, cool breeze blew across the field, bringing dust into his eyes, but he simply blinked it away. _Where the hell are Antonio and Ruzek?_

Jay was just about to get in the minivan and drive off himself when he spotted Antonio's shoddy black sedan approach from the South—the same way Voight and Erin had come from just minutes ago. He waved them down, letting Antonio pull the car to a stop right beside him.

Jay opened one of the rear doors and shoved JP inside, sliding into the car as well. "Step on it," he told Antonio after he got the door closed. "What news has Voight given you?"

"They just chased Shostak's car down—they nailed it in the side and sent the thing rolling."

"Where?"

Dawson stepped on the gas, pulling his car out of the field and onto a paved street. "Two miles out."

When Jay, along with Antonio and Ruzek, got to the scene, Erin had her gun aimed at Shostak's dinged-up Mustang. "Show me your hands," she ordered. "Put them up! Get out of the car! Get out of the car, Shostak. Get out!"

The young hit-man crawled out of his totaled vehicle, moaning slightly from the pain.

"Get out! Down on the ground! Get down on the ground! Put your hands behind your head!"

Jay stepped out of the car and walked up behind her. "Hey, Lindsay, give me your cuffs."

Erin smiled weakly at him, a look of relief washing over her features. She handed him a pair of iron bracelets and watched as he strode up behind Shostak.

"Put your hands on the window!" he ordered, scowling. He yanked the perp's hands behind his back and cuffed them tightly, walking him over to Voight's car to be taken to prison.

With Shostak in custody and JP to be put under arrest, the rest of the afternoon was relatively calm for Chicago's Intelligence unit. The entire team returned to the precinct, and everyone was glad the op had gone well.

"Great job out there, Jay," Antonio said as he sat down at his desk. "Just as that thing went south, you pulled everything back together, man."

"I wish I had been there to have seen that sick takedown of yours," Ruzek added.

Jay chuckled lightly, sighing in content as he sank down onto the chair at his desk. He was exhausted. He looked across the room, expecting to see Erin there, but instead saw that his partner's desk was empty, even though he was sure that she and Voight had been the first to make it back to the precinct.

"Where's Erin?" he asked.

Voight strode in, heading straight to his office. "She's here somewhere; I drove in with her thirty minutes ago." He glanced over his shoulder, nodding at Jay. "Good work today, Halstead."

Burgess and Rusek followed Voight into his office, exiting a few minutes later to announce that they were leaving early and taking their paperwork home with them. Burgess congratulated Jay on their way out.

Jay began to simply stare off into space after a while, thinking about everything from the op to the laundry that he's have to do that weekend. When Erin didn't show up after fifteen more minutes, Jay just decided to stop worrying about her and start on his paperwork. _She's probably just finishing some things with the case, _he reasoned.

He picked up the folder at the top of the stack and flipped it open. A small piece of scrap paper slid out, landing on his desk—right in his line of sight.

_Jay, _

_Meet me in the interrogation room as soon as you get this._

_-E_

Jay read the note twice, noting that it was her handwriting—albeit slightly more sloppy than usual. He shoved the paper in his pocket and stood up from his desk, moving to head downstairs.

"Jay, where're you going?" It was Antonio.

"Platt had something to give me," he lied smoothly.

"Can you collect my mail for me?"

Jay was already starting on the stairs. "Sure, Tony."

"Thanks, bro."

He took the steps faster than he usually did, quickly unlocking the metal door and slipping into the hall that lead to interrogation. When he entered the room, he expected to see her, but he didn't. "Erin?"

Someone suddenly kicked the door shut behind Jay and grabbed him by the collar, pressing him up against the wall. He was pressed between their warm body and the cool wall—a steep contrast. He saw a flash of that dark blonde hair that he knew was Erin's, and instantly wondered what this was about.

"Erin—"

"Shut up," she said, rolling onto the balls of her feet and angling her head up towards his. She kissed him, hard and true on the mouth, working his lower lip with her tongue.

He kissed her back after a brief moment of surprise. He brought one hand to her hip, holding her against him, and tangled the other in her hair to give him better access to her. He parted her lips skillfully and slid his tongue between them, lightly tracing her tongue with his.

She pulled away too soon, panting and needing air. "God, I was so worried about you," she whispered against his lips hotly. "When Ruzek showed us that image of JP's son, I almost lost it. We lost sight of you, and this train—"

"Hey," he whispered, stroking her hair softly. "I'm okay, and we caught Shostak."

She nodded. "What took you so long to get down here?"

"I didn't find your note for a little while, and then Antonio was all up my ass about where I was going."

An eyebrow raised. "_Antonio_ was all up in your ass? He's never up anyone's ass."

"Well, he wan't really being a pest. He just asked me where I was going—"

"What'd you say?"

He leaned in real close to her, whispering into her ear huskily. "I told him that I was coming to meet you down in a little room in the middle of nowhere, where no one would see what I was doing to you."

She glared at him, pushing herself away.

"No, I told him I was getting something from Platt."

"Oh?"

"—He then requested that I fetch him his mail."

She grinned. "Please tell me you said something witty back at him."

"Nope." He popped the P.

"Oh, my! Is Jay Halstead losing his touch?"

He chuckled, then glanced at the clock on the wall. "I gotta get to Platt for Antonio's mail before he gets all suspicious on me."

"Okay. I'll go with you." She let go of him completely, opening the door to leave.

"Erin—wait."

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

_Have you already forgotten about that kiss we just shared?_ "What about us? Where does"—he gestured around—"_this_ leave us?"

She sighed. "I really don't know, Jay. All I know is that I was freaking worried as hell about you today—more than I should have been over a partner."

"And that kiss?"

"I'm willing to give us a shot if you are," she admitted before exiting the room.

Jay trotted after her, his heart pumping harder than it should. He felt elated—like he was in a dream. She looked so beautiful with her steps, so strong and confident as she walked, her hair flipped wonderfully over her slender shoulders, her shapely hips swaying with every stride. And Erin, in all of her wonder and glory, was willing to give them a shot.

"Would you like to come over for some drinks after work?" he asked her, stopping her in a doorway.

She grinned. "I'd love to, Jay."

~Line Break~

When they headed back up, Voight was standing in the bullpen with everyone else there. "In about two minutes," he said after Erin and Jay sat down, "I got to meet Commander Perry so he can brief the command staff. You know, no one out there really knows how we operate how we put ourselves in harm's way.

"If they did, our hands would be tied, and the worst of the worst that we hunt down would go free. So when I say this stays in house, this stays in house, so we can keep operating the way we do." Voight turned to Jay. "Halstead, what you did today—what you did for this city, well, no one will ever know. But this family knows."

"Cheers to that," Olinsky said from his corner of the room.

"I'm going to Molly's and getting drunk," Antonio said, clapping a hand on Jay's shoulder. "Anyone want to join?"

Atwater stepped forward, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Yeah, I'm in."

"Me, too," said Voight, much to the surprise of everyone.

Antonio glanced at Erin and Jay. "How about you two?"

"Thanks, bro," Jay began, trying not to look at his partner, "but I've already got plans."

Erin shrugged. "I'm beat; I think I'm just going to head home, eat a tub of rocky road, and catch up on sleep."

"Cool. See you guys Monday."

With that, the team began to leave, with the exception of Lindsay and Halstead. Voight turned just before he got to the stairs.

"Oh, shit," Jay said under his breath, expecting another soliloquy.

There wasn't one. "You two make sure this place is locked up when you leave, alright?"

"Yeah, we got it," Erin answered. "Have a good weekend, Hank."

Jay got the sudden urge, once the team was gone, to push Erin onto the nearest desk and fuck her senseless. Her hair was lightly tousled from the day's work, and he wanted nothing more than to run his hands through it. He could imagine what it would feel like to have her sighing his name as he had his way with her, could practically _feel_ what it would be like to have her long, slender legs wrapped around his hips—

Erin nudged him in the shoulder. "Jay."

"Mhmm?"

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah, of course." He reached to grab his jacket and the keys to the car.

She took the keys from him. "I'll drive, house hubby. Yours or mine?"

Jay swallowed hard. He imagined Erin splayed out on his bed, naked and calling for him. "Wherever you wanna go," he said, composing himself the best he could.

"Yours, then?"

"Sure."

They both slid into the car, and Lindsay drove to his apartment in silence. Chicago, in all of it's nighttime glory, flashed through the windows in a series of lights and darkly beautiful smears. The radio was playing softly, letting the sweet tinkling of music flow from the car speakers. Traffic was light—thank the lord—and Erin rolled the car to a stop at his curb in no time at all.

Jay stepped out first, walking around to open Erin's door like a true gentleman. He took her hand, helped her out, and bowed a little, dipping his head.

She slapped him on the arm lightly, a soft giggle escaping her lips. "Thank you, Sir Jay."

He casually wrapped an arm around her waist and lead her up the steps to his building. Fishing through his pockets, he found his key and slid it into the lock. The door opened with little resistance when he turned the knob.

He flicked on the light, letting the apartment be illuminated. "Beer okay for you, or do you want wine or something?"

She made her way over to his couch and sat down, sighing audibly as her limbs came to rest on the cushions. "Depends," she answered. "Red or white?"

"Um." He searched through his pantry and pulled out the two bottles he had. "I have both."

"I'll have a glass of red, then. Where's your remote?"

_Ah, shit, _he thought, pouring the wine. _I never know where that damn thing is myself._ "Is it on the coffee table?"

Brief pause. "No."

"Under the couch?"

"Nope."

Halstead walked out of the kitchen, two glasses in hand. He set them down on the coffee table. "This stuff has been in my pantry for months," he said, chuckling. "I had meant to bring it to our office party, but I completely forgot, so it's just been sitting there, collecting dust."

"Time makes it taste better," she said, smiling and taking a delicate sip from her glass. "But, seriously, you have no idea where your TV remote is?"

He shrugged. "It's around somewhere."

"When was the last time you used it?"

"This is going to sound so lame, but I'm usually in bed by nine or ten when our job permits it. I don't usually have all that much time to watch TV." Jay ran a hand through his hair.

"Me, too. We have to get up so early in the morning most days, so I try to get into bed as early as I can. I don't know how Antonio manages balancing his family with this job, to be honest."

Jay nodded, taking a seat beside his partner. "Antonio's a great guy."

"He brought you into Intelligence," she stated. Her hand found his knee. "He vouched for you."

"Yeah, he did. I can't thank him enough for doing that."

"Neither of you ever talk about how you met."

He sighed and took a long drag of wine. "It's a long story." _One that I really am not completely proud of. _

As if sensing his discomfort, she backed off immediately, changing the subject. "Antonio said that Firehouse 51 is going to Molly's next Friday. You wanna go with me?"

"Sure."

They both set their glasses on the table, empty. Jay moved to stand up and fetch more, but Erin suddenly sat up and threw her knees over his, straddling him. She braced her hands on his chest and rested herself lightly on his upper thighs.

He swallowed hard, fighting to keep his hands at his sides. "Erin—"

Erin cut him off. "I want to be with you, Jay. After today, all I know is that I don't want to spend another day without you, pretending that I don't want you. Maybe it wasn't the right time for an 'us' before, and, well, maybe it still isn't, but the only thing that's truly stopping us from being together is that stupid 'no in-house romance' rule. Who cares about the rule, anyway? We're old enough to be capable of making our own decisions without Voight." She leaned in, resting her forehead against his. "I want to give us a chance, Jay."

He closed his eyes, silent for a second before he said, "Can this be our one day, Erin?"

She took his jaw in her hands and smiled. "I hope it'll be a lot longer than a day."

He tugged her closer to him, winding a hand in her hair and slanting his head to kiss her. When their lips met, Jay felt like the dam was finally breaking—all of the times they had forced themselves away from each other were coming together into one moment, all of those emotions blending and intensifying to make their kiss an impossibly passionate one.

Jay placed a hand on her hip and shifted them, letting her lay down on the couch as he hovered above her. Singlehandedly, he pinned her wrists above her head and began to kiss down her neck. He sucked hard at her pulse and felt the steady _thump, thump_ of her heart speed up under his lips.

His fingers found the hem of her top. "I want this off," he stated between kisses, breathing the words against her skin. He slipped a thumb under the band of her jeans and touched the bare skin of her hip. "These, too—I want them off."

A small sigh escaped her lips, and she arched her back to be closer to him. "Jay," she breathed.

He moved one side of her shirt off her shoulder using his teeth and kissed the skin there. "Mhmm?"

Her lips were at his ear, her breaths tickling his already feverish flesh. "Please," she began, and her next words were jumbled to his ears, though he could have sworn that she was saying that she _needed_ him: that she wanted him, too.

With a groan, he ground his hips against hers sensually, pressing himself impossibly nearer to her. _God, I want you,_ he thought. _So, so much. _

He moved his hands up around her head, snaking them under one of the decorative pillows to help support his weight above her. His fingers felt a rectangular piece of plastic, which he immediately recognized as the TV remote. He grasped it and pulled it out, separating himself from Erin enough that he could show her the find. "I found the remote," he stated, smiling sexily down at her.  
>She groaned at the loss of him touching her, but found it in herself to play along. "Mhmm," she hummed. "Well, I'm glad you found it, but, oddly enough, I don't think I want to watch TV anymore."<p>

"Really? You seemed pretty sad about that earlier. We can watch TV if you want; I don't mi—"

"Shut up," she said before she connected her lips to his, taking the remote from him and tossing it carelessly onto the coffee table. She wound one of her hands back into his hair, choosing to run the other down his back until it reached the hem of his shirt. "Off," she directed him.

Jay broke their kiss and kneeled, shedding his leather jacket and yanking his shirt over his head. Erin took the opportunity to undo his belt and pull it through the loops of his jeans, letting the leather article fall somewhere.

He leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth teasingly. "Bedroom?" he asked.

She nodded hastily, reaching up to wrap her slender arms around his neck. Jay stood and lifted her easily into his arms. Erin began kissing at the base of his neck as he carried her over to his bedroom.

As they entered the space, Jay was suddenly glad that he was a relatively clean person. Those few years in the army introduced him to some good habits—his bed was made neatly; his clothes were either in the hamper or in their proper spaces; all surfaces were recently dusted, free of clutter.

He flicked on the light. Playfully, he tossed her onto the bed, moving to crawl over her afterward. She scooted further up his bed until her hair was sprawled out against the pillows. Jay moved to pin her wrists again.

"Eager for control, are we, Halstead?"

He chuckled against the skin of her neck, pressing another kiss there. "House husbands use the bedroom as their place to shine. Are you complaining?"

"No—it's pretty hot, actually."

Jay sucked in a harsh breath. Erin had wrapped her legs around his hips and was pressing her core—_warm_, he noted, even through their clothes—against his groin. Her scent was intoxicating: a mixture of something like flowers and gunpowder. It made him want to lay there and bask in her forever.

"Let me touch you, Jay."

He tightened his grasp on her wrists and pressed her further into the bed. _Oh, I want you to, baby, but I've waited too long for this moment to rush through it,_ he thought. "Mhmm," he hummed contemplatively, "I don't think I will just yet."

She whimpered when he rotated his hips into her and sucked at a particularly sensitive spot on the column of her neck. Her hands weakly protested his hold on them, but she let him keep the power.

"Stay still," Jay told her as he released her wrists. "Keep them up there."

Erin nodded, her gaze flicking between his face and his chest, which was beginning to shine with a light sheen of sweat. Her breaths were sporadic and heavy.

Jay grabbed the hem of her top and pulled it over her head, tossing it across the room haphazardly. His lips trailed from her jaw to her neck to her collarbones. His gaze met hers as his teeth teased a strap of her bra off her shoulder. He kissed the shoulder, then repeated the move to the other.

Lindsay grew frustrated quickly. With a huff, she moved to sit up, her hands coming down from where her partner had left them. She reached behind her to unclasp her bra.

"Ah-ah," he admonished, nipping just above her breast lightly. "What'd I tell you?"

She squirmed beneath him. "Jay—"

"Trust me."

She moved her hands to her sides obediently, fisting the bedsheets. Jay kissed down the valley between her breasts and began to nip at her ribs, soothing the bites with his tongue. His hands tickled the sides of her breasts before they moved down to settle at her waist.

Her breath hitched in her throat when he kissed the underside of a breast, his lips teasing against the fabric of her bra. Jay was looking up at her while he pulled one of the cups down and immediately began to kiss around the exposed flesh.

"Jay," she sighed, her lips parted and her back arching up to meet his.

Deftly, his fingers undid the button on her jeans. He was nipping and sucking around her breast, narrowly avoiding contact with her puckered nipple. He slid her zipper down but didn't removed her jeans—not yet.

His teeth lightly grazed her rosy nipple, drawing a gasp from her. He grinned against her flesh before he eased her back off the bed enough that he could reach behind her and thumb open the clasp of her bra. He eased the article off her, letting it fall to the floor.

"God, you're beautiful," he breathed, pressing a kiss to the swell of each breast.

Erin's breaths were coming faster as she began to almost _pant_ with her clear need for him. Unable to hold back any longer, she wound a hand into his hair and pulled his face flush with her skin, guiding his head lower and _lower_, until his teeth were grazing at her waistband.

Jay lifted her hips and slowly dragged her jeans down her legs, letting her kick them off to the side. He kissed at her hipbones, expelling warm breaths against her feverish skin. He could see her, glistening and obviously wanting him, in his peripheral vision, but he didn't touch her _there._

Erin Lindsay was begging him—something he never thought would happen. "Please," she panted. _Jay, Jay, Jay. _

Jay nipped right below her navel, kissing slightly lower until her was hovering right over where she wanted him. "Tell me what you want, baby," he said against her.

Frustrated noises tumbled elegantly from her mouth. "You, Jay," she stated. "I want you."

He grinned, feeling only slightly guilty for teasing his partner. "Where?"

Erin mumbled incoherently when he released a warm puff of air against her core. To Jay, it sounded like she was breathing curses blended in with some additional pleas, but he wasn't sure.

"I wanna hear you say it, Erin."

Her hands fisted in his hair and she tried to guide his face down, but he stopped her as soon as his lips were an inch above her. Jay took her hands in his and moved them onto his shoulders before he moved back to bracing himself on the bed with his forearms.

"Here?" he asked as his head ducked down and he touched a kiss to the inside of her left thigh. "Or here?" He moved lower, somehow lifting her leg and pressing his lips behind her right knee. "Or maybe here?" A kiss to the inside of her other thigh. He was so close to where he _knew_ she wanted him.

"Stop teasing," she hissed.

Suddenly, his lips closed around her clit and squeezed. _She tastes wonderful,_ he noted, flicking his tongue out sharply to lick a line up along her entrance. He used his shoulders to keep her legs apart for him—she was getting lost in the moment and trying to lock her thighs around him.

Erin's back arched and a sweet moan slipped past her parted lips. She went to press herself closer to him, but he simply pressed her hips back down against the mattress. Her body grew tremulous as he continued his ministrations—her toes were clenched and her legs were visibly shaking.

Jay brought a hand down to her core, rubbing a finger lightly along her entrance. He grazed his teeth ever-so lightly against her clit and let the digit sink into her warm, wet heat. He moved the finger, in and out, once, twice, a third time, keeping his pace slow. His tongue was mimicking his hand—darting out here and there; stroking her clit steadily but not hurriedly.

"God, Jay," she said, locking her ankles at the small of his back and pressing him down harder onto her. Her nails alternated between digging into the skin at his shoulders and fisting the bedsheets. She was impossibly tense below him, obviously climbing dangerously close to the proverbial edge—the cliff that lead to an impossibly bright abyss of pleasure.

Jay couldn't see her face from his current angle, but he wanted to. He imagined that her eyes were probably tightly shut, that her lips were parted and her hair was spread out across his pillows.

He slid a second finger inside her effortlessly, picking up his pace slightly. "How close are you, baby?"

Erin sighed audibly, moving her hips to force his fingers deeper and harder. "Please," was all she managed to say.

Jay decided that he had teased her enough. He pressed his lips against her little bundle of nerves and crooked his fingers within her simultaneously, breaking that dam within her. Her walls clenched around him, and her entire body shuddered. She writhed on his tongue as the waves of pleasure crashed down on her.

He progressively slowed down his ministrations, letting her ride out the orgasm fully before he withdrew from her. Jay disentangled her legs from himself and crawled up the bed, casually tossing an arm around her waist and moving to lay beside her.

Erin sighed contentedly, her body relaxing and sinking back into the bed. "You're really good at that, house hubby," she drawled. Her hand began to trace shapes on his bare chest. "How many times have you done that, exactly?"

Jay blushed lightly, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. "Not telling."

She tossed a leg over his and moved to straddle him. Her hair cascaded down over them like curtain, and her lips touched the shell of his ear as she began to whisper to him seductively, "I don't think I'll ever be able to look you in the face again without remembering what you just did."

Jay swallowed hard, audibly. "For the sake of both of us on the job, I hope that's not the case."

Her lips tugged on the lobe of his ear playfully before she began to kiss a trail down his jaw and neck. Erin dragged her nails across his nipples lightly, eliciting a shiver from her partner, before she sucked a mark into the skin at the base of his throat.

Jay growled, feeling a stirring deep in his stomach. There were feathers within him, tickling him from the inside out, and it felt as though Erin was using her lips to set those feathers afire, set him ablaze. The air felt warmer suddenly.

Erin nipped at his collarbones and ran her hands down his sides until they were at his waist. Her thumbs slipped within the band of his jeans, teasing the skin of his hips gently. She tugged at his belt loops, kissing along his pecs and ribs, and eventually began to drag his jeans down and over the swell of his ass until the were bunched at his knees.

He kicked the material off like it offended him, and clumsily toed off his socks. His pulse was accelerated; his breaths coming short and fast. Trails of fiery pleasure were covering his torso, and he moaned, low and deep.

Erin licked, nibbled, and kissed down past her partner's navel. She followed the light trail of hair down through the center of the vee of his hips, her lips stopping at his boxers. Her hand reached out and grasped at his balls through the thin fabric, making his hips leap towards her.

_Don't beg,_ he told himself. _Erin will use it against you in literally every single argument you have in the future, and she already owns you on a daily basis when it comes to the 'who-gets-to-drive' argument. _

Jay tried to stick with that, telling himself to man up and that it couldn't possibly be that hard to simply keep his mouth shut and let her come to him.

His resolve crumbled the instant she rubbed her hand along his boxer-covered member and stroked him firmly from base to tip.

"_Fuck,_" he said, winding a hand into her hair. "_Erin_."

Her eyes met his for a moment before she grinned and yanked his boxers off. His erection sprang free, and she pressed a kiss to the base of it. Her breath was warm; her lips felt like nothing short of heaven as they moved up the underside of his shaft in a series of light kisses. Erin reached the head, letting her tongue dart out to taste the drops of precum that had gathered there.

From there, she let her lips envelop him. She hallowed her cheeks and took him deep into her throat, bobbing her head slightly. One of her small hands cupped his balls, rolling them gently, while the other gripped at his hip and held them both steady.

Erin was moving quickly, sucking him off in a glorious fashion. She began to hum onto him, seemingly loving how it made him tense and tighten his grip on her hair. She picked up her pace, bobbing faster and letting her hair tickle the skin of his thighs as if she knew that he was close.

Jay gently pulled her off him, groaning when her lips separated from him with an audible _pop_. He flipped her onto her back and moved to straddle her. His lips touched down below her ear. "I want you."

Erin reached into one of the drawers on her nightstand and pulled out a small foil square. She brought the package to her lips and opened it, handing it to him. "I _need_ you," she said back to him. She ground her hips up against his as though emphasizing her point.

He pulled away long enough to roll the latex down his length before he was hovering right over her again, his cock rubbing along her entrance.

"You rea—"

Her nails dug into his back lightly as she pulled him impossibly closer. "Yes, Jay. _Please. Now."_

Slowly, he sank into her, groaning at the sensation of her walls clutching him. He forced himself to stop as soon as he was all the way in to give Erin a chance to adjust to him. Jay busied himself pressing kisses up her neck and jaw.

Erin shifted her hips after a moment, sliding him out and back in again smoothly. She kissed him hotly, hard and true on the mouth, catching his lower lip between hers and slipping her tongue inside his mouth. She tangled a hand into his hair and gripped his hip with the other.

Jay withdrew and then slid all the way back home within his partner. His eyes wanted to roll back; his skin felt afire. He thrusted once more, then twice, keeping his pace slow. The air within the room felt heavy and hot, though he had a feeling that his slight trouble breathing was because of the beautiful woman beneath him.

"Touch me," she whispered against his lips, her voice husky and breathy.

Running his fingers in feather-light, teasing patterns around a puckered nipple, Jay palmed her breast single-handedly. His other hand strayed down between them, to where they were joined, and he stroked her clit.

"God—_Jay_."

He continued thrusting into her, shifting his hips and increasing his pace and intensity. Within minutes he was dangerously close to falling off that proverbial edge, and he had the feeling that Erin was, too—if the noises she was making were any indication, anyway. She was exhaling sighs and sweet whimpers left-and-right—every single noise landing directly on Jay's ears.

Jay changed up his pace and intensity sporadically to bring her closer. The feathers that had initially filled his stomach and tickled it had turned to liquid fire, filling him with pleasure that demanded to be released.

"Please, Jay," Erin said, her words little more than a shaky whisper.

She fell apart around him, her back arching and her fingers dragging along the skin of back harshly. She kept repeating his name like a mantra, softly and sexily, as he kept thrusting into her.

Jay came, too, just moments later. All of his muscles tensed and then, simultaneously, relaxed as he slowly came down from the high. His fingers stopped working at her breast and clit, instead sliding to her waist as he slowed his thrusts. He slipped out of her and rolled off to the side, haphazardly pulling the condom off and tossing it into a nearby trashcan.

They were both breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her shoulder, starting a trail of sweet, open-mouthed kisses that lead to her neck and jaw and lips.

"I love you," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

"You're just saying that."

He gazed powerfully at her. "No, I'm not. Erin—I've loved you for months now, and I'm positive at this point that nothing will ever make me stop loving you. I love you now and I'll love you until the day I die, and if there's life after that, I'm sure I'll love you then, too."

"That's kinda cliché."

He shrugged. "It's the truth."

She smiled benignly and slanted her mouth over his, kissing him slowly and sweetly. "You're such a hopeless romantic, Jay Halstead," she whispered against his mouth, "but I love you."

**A/N: Whelp. There we go. That took me a lot longer than I thought it would and didn't come out exactly how I wanted it to, but whatever. :3 Please review and all that lovely jazz. **


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